Bri had forgotten how long a teacher’s day could be. She had forgotten about all the headaches, throat pains, and swollen feet. But despite everything, she loved everything about her job. Her favorite part? Stepping into their little world and knowing so much about them that she could almost call herself a mother.

Today Bri did a great job, and she was looking forward to the next day. And the next. And the next until she ran out of days. Discovering kids like Ava was also one of her favorite things about what she did, because one day she imagined they’d grow up and remember her. She wondered what Ava would remember her for, whether it was the compliments she gave her or the stickers she stuck on her notebook. But she hoped she would remember her for something. Kids, Bria realized, were special creatures, and she needed to treat them as such.

She peered up at the clock and, realizing it was almost two o’clock, decided that now was the right time to panic. She expected Kade to show up anytime now and no matter how hard she tried to avoid him, she knew she couldn’t. She hated how awkward their dynamic was and she still cursed Savvy for making her go out that night. Alright, well, she didn’t make her do anything, but it was still her fault regardless. It was just easier to blame other people for your own fuck ups.

As always Ava clinged to her leg, laughing hysterically whenever Bri tried to break free.

I swear, it’s like I have a little puppy, she thought to herself. Ava was probably the clingiest child she’d ever met but she never seemed to get sick of her.

“Can I come in?”

Bria looked over to find Mrs. Baxter, her supervisor, standing there.

“Of course,” she smiled, just because she had to. As much as Bria liked Mrs. Baxter, she sure hated her visits. That woman always wanted something. That, or she was just keeping an eye on her. “What’s up?”

“Well, I just wanted to say, you’re doing a great job this semester,” the woman said, slumping down on one of the chairs. “I received a few phone calls from the kids’ parents, and I gotta say, these kids really love you, Bria.”

Her heart warmed. “I really wasn’t expecting that,” she said, her hand flying to her mouth. At that moment she thought that teaching was probably the most rewarding job in the world. It was nothing like building bridges or working at a bank.

“Those who can’t do, teach,” her mother would always say, but boy, was she wrong. Bria preferred this job over everything. In fact a part of her felt like she had found her calling.

“Thank you, really,” she said after a long pause. “That means a lot to me.”

“Well, you deserve it,” Mrs. Baxter said, adjusting her glasses over her nose. Suddenly Bria felt a presence, like someone was standing behind her. She turned around, only to find Kade standing there, his lips parted and his tie slightly loosened around his neck, like he had been sprinting.

“Daddy!” Ava said, running to him. As always, he picked her up and spun around a bunch of times. Mrs. Baxter stared at them with a smile plastered to her face, almost like she was reminiscing.

“Ari,” Sandra, a fellow preschool teacher said, popping her head in through the door. “It’s Jessica’s birthday today, we bought her a cake.” One by one, the teachers snuck into the classroom; Bria didn’t understand what was going on until they started ducking behind the chairs. “Quick! Turn down the lights!” Sandra hissed. Bria didn’t know Jessica that well at all, but she complied, anyway.

“Um, I better get going,” Kade whispered.

“Shh!”

“Let’s just hide,” Bria said, crouching down behind one of the chairs. He crouched down with her, stroking Ava’s hair gently so she didn’t make a sound. The air was tense with an impending happiness. Kade shifted uneasily, breathing slower than usual; Bria thought he probably couldn’t wait to leave. It wasn’t long before Jessica stepped inside, only to be blinded by a burst of confetti.

“Surprise!”

Bria saw the shock register on her face before she could hide it. There was a delicious moment where her face washed blank with confusion, like her brain cogs couldn't turn fast enough to take in the information from her wide eyes. Every muscle of her body just froze before a grin crept onto her face, soon stretched from one side to the other showing every single tooth.

“Thank you, guys,” she said, hugging each person in turn. Bria walked up to her and left Kade behind, and he had no choice but to mingle with these women. He contemplated leaving but there was something about watching her socialize with her work friends that made his heart melt.

Kade stuck around longer than Bria thought he would. She had gotten all caught up with her work friends, that she had totally forgotten he and Ava were still there. They had sung Jessica Happy Birthday. They had blown out the candles and cut the cake. And Kade was still standing at the very back of the classroom, holding his daughter, who was just smiling at Ari.

“I’m so sorry,” she walked up to them. “It’s just that I got a little distracted.”

Before she could utter another word, she saw total blackness as Kade kissed her. She hiccuped, and suddenly the world seemed to go around in total slowness. Then she started hearing cheering, followed by “awhs”. Something told her they had stolen Jessica’s spotlight. Kade pulled away, and as she looked around she realized that everyone had been staring at them.

“Y’all are cute!” Mrs. Baxter said, gawking at them above the thick rim of her glasses. Bria was blushing and even though Kade had given her butterflies, she still didn’t know how she felt about this.

“What was that for?” she whispered, her eyes darting back and forth frantically. Kade’s eyelids dropped a little, almost like he was disappointed. At that point she was just staring at him, unforgivingly, almost. Kade shrunk a little because, judging by the look on Bria’s face, he had screwed up big time.